It is conventional practice to utilize springs to continuously bias the vanes of a rotary engine into sealing engagement with surfaces, such as the inside wall of housings forming the combustion chambers of the engine. Examples of spring biased vanes associated with rotors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,242,692; 1,424,977; and 3,572,030. These types of rotary engines have limited operating speeds. Centrifugal forces cause the vanes to move into frictional contact with the inside walls of the housing. This frictional contact causes considerable wear resulting in gas leakage past the vanes and excessive mechanical losses.
Rotary vane-type devices have been used to positively position the vanes during the rotation of the rotors relative to the housings of the devices. The positive positioning of the vanes is achieved through rollers located in continuous cam tracks. Shank et al shows in U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,047, a vane-type rotary device having a rotor with a plurality of vanes. Rollers located in tracks positively control the location of the vanes during the rotation of the rotor. Hansen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,468 discloses a rotary internal combustion engine having a plurality of vane and seal assemblies located in sliding sealing engagement with the inside surface of the housing of the engine. The rotary device has positive control of both the rotor and housing vane and seal assemblies to provide effective sliding gas seals between the stationary housing and rotating rotor.
Air compressors having pistons which have controlled movement through eccentrics are shown by Lawton in U.S. Pat. No. 2,423,507 and Jerneas in U.S. Pat. No. 3,221,664. These air compressors have sealed structures interposed between the movable and stationary parts to reduce leakage and enhance compressor efficiency. The engaging parts are subject to high sliding speeds which may result in wear and considerable friction which limit the efficiency and useful life of the compressors.